Where do I store my will?
Your original will needs to be stored somewhere. But where?
The most common places that people store their original will are:
- At home – in a safe or in a filing cabinet. We’ve even recommended that people store it in their freezer, as it is apparently the last place to burn in a fire.
- At the bank – in a safety deposit box. Just be cautious about this one as your executor will need to have a key and power of attorney, or a death certificate and a copy of the will to show the bank representative that they have authority to access the box, before they will open up the safety deposit box.
- With the executor – some people leave their original will with their executor so it is in the right place and in their safekeeping if it is needed.
After signing a will, we always file a wills notice with Vital Statistics that registers:
- your full legal name
- your date of birth
- your place of birth
- date the will was signed
- where your original will is stored
A copy of your will is not sent to Vital Statistics. Your executor must do a wills search as part of the probate process, so we always file this wills notice to show that it is the last version of someone’s will, which is a paid service through Vital Statistics and not accessible to the public.
**ELIZABETH MAH
**Lawyer-Founder,
Paperclip Law
Fraser Valley North Vancouver Squamish Vancouver Wills & Probate